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Egyptian polytheism
Egyptian polytheism Egyptian polytheism is also called Kemeticism. Kemeticism applies to various local and state cults that existed in Kemet (Ancient Egypt) and the later Ptolemic Kingdom- as well as several reconstructionist movements existing today. Egyptian polytheism in Ancient Times Egyptian polytheism existed in many non-centralized forms prior to the First Dynasty. Egypt was still ruled by tribal chiefs. Scholars disagree about the details the further back into history they go- but it seems unlikely that tribal Egypt shared all the same deities, customs, and imagery from one region to the next. This kind of uniformity would not exist until Dynastic Egypt, with a central government power to solidify it. Such uniform power would appear in Egypt's first Pharaoh: Menes, alternatively called Narmer. Not much is known about Menes-Narmer, except that he unified Upper and Lower Egypt with all it's tribes. Scholars tend toward a majority consensus that this unification took place in the face of an invasion from Mesopotamia. Fragments of pottery and other artifacts unearthed in Egypt prove that the Mesopotamians had been trading with the Egyptians in pre-Dynastic times. Mostly the Mesopotamians traded them pottery, ceramics, and various utensils. In exchange, the Egyptians gave the Mesopotamians cattle and crops. Crops grew very easily in Egypt's fertile black soil- but did not grow so easily in Sumer or Babylon. Scholars put forth that the Mesopotamians decided to invade Egypt for it's fertile land. In response, tribal chief Menes-Narmer called Egyptians to unify under his banner. The crown that would be worn by all Pharaohs: the Atef crown- is attributed to King Menes for having unified Upper and Lower Egypt. History tells us that the Egyptians were able to stave off a Mesopotamian invasion. They then branded all foreign enemies with a name usually translated as Asiatic. Egypt would go on to build the great capitol of Memphis, which the Egyptians built to rival the Sumerian city of Ur. Memphis is estimated to have been four times larger than Ur at the time of it's construction. The city was a testament to Menes-Narmer's triumph, and the people's belief that bright days were ahead for their kingdom. It was during the Dynastic period that Egyptian polytheism took on a more centralized form. The Pharaoh was probably first seen as Ra's representative on earth. Through time this became Osiris, and then Horus. Myths tell us that Ra was Egypt's first ruler, so we can pretty safely infer that the first Pharaohs ruled in His name. Egyptian polytheism didn't take long to become strongly centralized under the Pharaohs. This would eventually end with the Pharaoh being both a kingly ruler and the high priest of the religion. This doesn't mean that the Pharaohs didn't have opposition. Most opposition did not come from foreign nations, but from the very priests that served the gods under Pharaoh. Throughout the passing of dynasties, several god cults rose and fell in power. Although each dynasty maintained the central pillar of the religion that Pharaoh ruled for Horus- the reality was often different The 18th dynasty prevailing opinion favored the god Amun as Egypt's patron. The Cult of Amun became so powerful that it's priests could oppose Pharaoh openly, and even unseat him. The god Set was to enjoy this level of prestige and devotion during the 19th dynasty. Officially however, Horus remained the god of kingship. Things continued this way up until the Ptolemic period. Alexander and the Ptolemic Kingdom Alexander the Great would later conquer Egypt, beginning a period of Egyptian Hellenism. Alexander brought the temples under his control and coerced the priests into giving him the coronation. He was declared Pharaoh and beloved by the god Amun. The Ptolemic Kingdom succeeded Alexander when his empire fell apart shortly after his death. Alexander and the Ptolemies were Hellenists. They changed various elements of the state cult. Each Egyptian god and goddess was declared as being synonymous with one of the Twelve Olympians, or branded an agathos daemon. Amun again rose to prominence during Ptolemic rule, and was syncretized with Zeus. The kingship associations changed slightly as well. Osiris and Horus had both been associated with the throne from ancient times. However, the Ptolemies didn't think being deceased was befitting a god of kingship like Osiris. They venerated a living Osiris in response, whom they called Serapis. Serapis appeared with Osiris's wife Isis in Ptolemic imagery, as well as their child Horus. The child Horus was called Harpocrates. Despite these changes to associations, the Ptolemic rulers did not change the temple or ceremonial elements of the religion very much. Alexander and his successors were greatly impressed with the ancient tradition of the people. Horus continued to enjoy veneration as an adult god-king, but with special emphasis given to Harpocrates. Queen Cleopatra, the last Hellenic ruler, co-ruling with her son Caesarion- claimed to be the representative of Isis on earth, breaking with all ancient precedent. It was the first and only time a Pharaoh would claim to rule for a goddess, and not for Osiris or Horus. Cleopatra's love and preference for Isis was due to her being a strong woman. If any ancient polytheistic figure could be identified with modern feminists-- it is Cleopatra. During the reign of Cleopatra and her son Caesarion, Octavian invaded and captured Egypt for the Romans. This ended the long history of Egypt as an independent power- bringing an end to the Pharaohs. The Roman Era After the Romans brought Egypt directly under their rule with the death of Cleopatra, the state cult changed even more radically. Instead of Pharaoh, the new high priest of the temples was Chief Lector- someone appointed by and loyal to Rome. Egyptian worship became even more strongly Hellenistic under the Romans than it had been under the Ptolemies. The Ptolemies had maintained the Egyptian imagery, ritual style, and ceremonial customs almost untouched despite numerous changes. The Romans did not continue this close safeguarding of the traditional Egyptian rite. Egyptian temples were transformed to be more like Roman ones. The priests often wore ceremonial togas. Many of the gods even took on Roman imagery, or were outright syncretized with a Hellenic god. The most famous syncretized deity of this kind is probably Hermnubis. Hermes syncretized with Anubis... Modern Reconstruction Movements Today, Egyptian polytheism enjoys several reconstruction groups and movements. It is one of the largest reconstructionist traditions in modern polytheism. The most notable of these groups are the House of Netjer, and an off-shoot called Per-Ankh. In addition, there are numerous smaller groups and organizations calling themselves Kemetic. Modern Egyptian polytheists usually prefer to be called Kemetics in respect to the ancients, who called their land Kemet. They also tend to reject the Hellenization brought to the tradition by the Macedonians and Romans, but this is with some exceptions. Several modern Kemetic groups also prefer that the gods and goddesses be called by their Egyptian names, rather than Greek ones. For example: the original Egyptian name of Anubis is translated from ancient texts as either Yinepu or Anpu. Anubis is a Greek name. Modern reconstructionists of the tradition are not in agreement about the nature and relationship of the Egyptian deities. The House of Netjer believes the gods and goddesses constitute an agreeable collective called Netjer. Other groups are hard polytheist, and reject this interpretation.